1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to footwear. More specifically, the present invention relates to a convertible sandal having a heel strap that is capable of being interlocked with the heel portion of the sandal.
2. Related Art
Sandals are a common and widely used type of footwear. Early sandals included a flat component, formed of a suitable material such as leather, that served as a sole. Various methods to secure the sandal to a user's foot are known. For example, a forefoot cover, or vamp, can be used to cover the instep of the user's foot and thereby secure the sandal to the foot. The forefoot cover may only partially cover the top of the foot so that the toes extend outward into the open air. In the alternative, the forefoot cover may cover most of the top of the foot or even enclose the entire forward portion of the foot.
Sandals having only forefoot covers are sometimes referred to as “slide” sandals or “flip-flop” sandals. As such, the sandal is only loosely attached to the foot and is useful for more leisurely types of activities. More active types of activities, requiring quicker movements, could result in the sandal becoming inadvertently disconnected from the foot, which might be undesirable.
An improvement to the “flip-flop” sandal is the addition of a strip of material, referred to as a heel strap, which ties or wraps around the user's heel. The rear heel strap can be connected to the forefoot cover or other structural components of the sandal. The rear heel strap is typically formed of a material such as a synthetic fabric or leather.
Some sandals employ a rear heel strap that can be disconnected from the sandal. To achieve this disconnect feature, the sandal can incorporate buckles, hook and eye fasteners and other types of mechanical fasteners to connect and disconnect at least one end of the rear heel strap to and from the sandal. If both ends of the rear heel strap can be disconnected, the sandal can be used as a “slide” or “flip-flop” styled sandal. Once removed, however, it would be necessary to store or carry the rear heel strap to prevent loss thereof. Since sandals are often used at the beach and at swimming pools, storage of the rear heel strap in order to avoid loss could be inconvenient. Thus, there is a need for a convertible sandal, that includes a forefoot cover and a rear heel strap, and can be utilized with or without the heel strap without disassembling the sandal.